388 LORD READING

in the country of the Utmanzai Wazirs, with our regular troops,
at the request of the Wazirs themselves. A circular road njpre
than 70 miles in length, running from Idak in the Tochi, past
Razmak and through Mahsud country to Jandola, has been
efficiently constructed in a short space of time. A second road
fringing the Mahsud country on the south-east is under con-
struction from Jandola to Sarwekai. These roads have been
constructed in the main by the tribes. They are protected
throughout the greater part of their length only by irregular
forces, scouts and local recruited khassadars, and under their
protection they are beginning to carry the trade of the country,
and to exercise the civilizing and pacific influences which are
the special and beneficent characteristics of a road policy.
Except for a few technical troops, there are now no regular
troops in Mahsud country. Military expenditure has been
steadily reduced, and more settled conditions on the border
offer good prospect of a more than temporary success for our
policy. We should be unduly sanguine if we declared that our
difficulties are at an end. Nevertheless, in our judgment,
arrived at after much investigation and deliberation, this policy
spells the best hope for progressive improvement in the future.

INDIANS OVERSEAS.

You will remember that when I last addressed the Legislature,
the position of Indians in the Empire was a cause of serious con-
cern to me and my Government, no less than to Indian opinion
generally. Since then, except in directions to which I shall
subsequently refer, the results of the labours of the Secretary
of State, the Maharaja of Alwar, and Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru at
the Imperial Conference have undoubtedly improved the situa-
tion. The Premiers of four Dominions have shown deep sym-
pathy and expressed their earnest desire to remove the dis-
abilities affecting Indians. There is good ground for hope that
the attainment of a solution acceptable to India is only a matter
of comparatively short time, except possibly in the case of
Canada, where there are some special difficulties. India %rnost
cordially appreciates their sympathy and encouragement* and
I speak for India when I say that this recognition of India's
position in the Empire is the source of satisfaction to her. The
position in South Africa, however, is different. The Union
Government has reaffirmed its unwillingness to adopt the atti-
tude of other Dominions and, in addition, proposals for legisla-
tion, which are expected in practice to affect Indians adversely,